Imagining the process of discovery from another's perspectiv

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beneficii
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18 Dec 2013, 3:24 pm

If I send, say, a document for someone to review, I like to then open the document myself, try to imagine what things are like behind their eyes as they review it, and try to mimic their imagined reactions. So I will open up the document from the start and I will imagine them perusing it, looking at the table of contents if there is one maybe, and going through the steps I imagine they would take, and going, ooh! and ah! as I imagine they would as I peruse the document, even though I've already read it dozens of times. It's like the other person is there, or even like I am the other person.

Does anyone else do this?


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Willard
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18 Dec 2013, 3:37 pm

According to Theory of Mind issues, we as autistics are notoriously BAD at doing that very thing.

Any time in my life that I've tried to imagine what another person might do or say or how they would react to something beforehand, I've always been WRONG. They invariably see the entire issue from a perspective I hadn't even thought of. Usually a stupid perspective in my opinion, but nevertheless, not something I would have (or could have) predicted.



beneficii
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18 Dec 2013, 4:52 pm

Willard,

Ja. Same here. I rehearse rehearse rehearse conversations that I anticipate and they still often go in ways that I can't anticipate, which makes things frustrating. I'm guessing that's that perplexity.


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ouroborosUK
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18 Dec 2013, 5:29 pm

I often read several times any document I write before sending and make minor corrections, but the idea is more to really make sure that the whole document exactly reflects my knowledge, mindset and opinion about what it is about, and is well-constructed with ideas chaining in a fluid and pleasanf way. I am lucky enough to work in a field where precision and unbiased exchange of information are crucial to success, so my way of "polishing" documents until they are as close as possible as someone actually reading my mind is usually seen as good. The drawback is that the result is often very long and developed ; I have difficulties at being synthetic, since I feel it would induce many inaccuracies and make the recipient misunderstand what I am really saying. This perfectionism also make my writing slower. (This only stands for my own ideas and written works - I have no problem quickly summarizing someone else's ideas. But of course it only reflects my understanding of them.)

beneficii wrote:
I rehearse rehearse rehearse conversations that I anticipate and they still often go in ways that I can't anticipate, which makes things frustrating.


Same thing here. I think everyone does that to some extent (it is a classical theme in love stories in fiction, the suitor rehearsing what he will say to his/her loved one) but I have to do it for almost any conversation. For minor things I am happy with just finding out a way to express my thought clearly and sticking to it as an opening sentence. For more in depth conversations (at work with colleagues or my boss for example) I need at least a lead-in sentence and a list of subjects and ideas I want to address. For complex emotionally demanding discussions I often "rehearse" whole parts of the discussion and try to consider all the possible answers and how I can react to them.


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A bit obsessed with vocabulary, semantics and using the right words. Sorry if it is a concern. It's the way I think, I am not hair-splitting or attacking you.


beneficii
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18 Dec 2013, 8:18 pm

ouroborous,

Oh yes, any conversation I anticipate as being highly charged and/or emotional I make sure to rehearse very carefully, because I feel like I am stepping into a minefield where one false move would end in disaster.

EDIT: In my case, note, I'm referring to a document that is somebody else's I'm sending as a reference.


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